The Haunting of Peyton Fletcher by Alexandria Clarke

Author:Alexandria Clarke [Clarke, Alexandria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-04T04:00:00+00:00

30

“It’s the one at the end of the street,” I directed the airport taxi driver as I pointed over his shoulder from the back seat. “That blue one on the corner.”

I smiled at the sight of the familiar house. It was a small cottage with a three-paneled sitting window in the front. The yard was freshly mowed and blooming with marigolds. A tree loomed over the roof in the backyard, a rickety swing hidden in its leaves. The driveway was packed with cars, so the driver parked on the curb instead.

“Are you having a party?” he asked.

“A family reunion,” I replied, hurriedly unbuckling my seatbelt. “And a very important birthday.”

“You must be excited to be home.”

I handed him a gracious tip. “You have no idea.”

“Need help with your bags?”

“Nope. Someone should be out any minute—”

The white front door blasted open, and Sammy came running down the front walk. As I stepped out of the cab, he flung himself into my grasp. I hugged him tightly and ruffled his hair.

“Holy crap!” I said. “Did you grow again?”

“Probably! I’m the tallest kid in my class now.”

With a year and change, Sammy looked like a totally different boy. Not only was he taller, but he wasn’t so skinny anymore. He did sports now too—baseball and karate—and he didn’t go anywhere without a ball cap. Half the time, he had a few bruises or scrapes to show off and a story to go with each one. Theo had finally let up on the reins, meaning Sammy was free to try a range of new things.

“Hey, Peyton!” Theo was the next person to come flying out of the house to engulf me in a hug. “Welcome home!”

Like Sammy, Theo had changed for the better. She’d cut most of her hair off. It sat near her chin rather than around her shoulders, something she claimed made her feel more free than she had in years. With Sammy taking more responsibility for himself, Theo had the time to do the same for herself. She had toned up at the local gym with weight-lifting and yoga classes.

“Thank you,” I said. “Everything okay here?”

“Totally.” Theo grabbed my suitcase from the trunk and handed it off to Sammy. “Where are your manners, kid?”

As the cab driver carefully pulled away from the curb, Sammy tried to roll my suitcase up the front walk toward the house. “Gosh, this is heavy. What’s in this? Bricks?”

“Your birthday present, actually,” I told him. “Unless you don’t want it?”

“No, I want it!”

“Guess you gotta get the suitcase inside then.”

He put on a burst of speed as if the suitcase had suddenly become featherlight. Theo chuckled and linked her arm through mine. “How was Namibia? I don’t suppose they have Wi-Fi over there yet. It’s terrible not talking to you.”

“It was great,” I said. “We got some amazing pictures, and Adele wrote the most moving article. It’s going to be huge.”

“Who’s publishing it again?”

“The New Yorker.”

Theo squealed as she dragged me inside. “I’m so excited for you.

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